Type fractions and method of use



C. C. MARDER.

TYPE FRACTIONS AND METHOD OF USE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2?, 1916.

1,375,307. Patented Apr. 19, 19211.

Unitas stars rarest o ariesz CLARENCE c. MABDER, or NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR- To AMERICAN TYIPE'I 7 FOUNDERS COMPANY, or JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, A ooEro ATIoiijo NEW JERSEY.

'ryrE FRACTIONS AND METHOD, .oE UsEQ i Application fi led June 27,

certain new and useful Improvements in Type Fractions and Methods of Use, of-

which the following is a specification.

My said invention-relates to the art of printing and refers particularlyto type for the formation of fractions in practising-said art.

' perienced by the methods and the character of type heretofore employed in printing fractions, such as the difficulty in handling type of very small size, as when the 'fractlons aremade up of small separate pieces; the difficulty experienced in using type composed of a single piece for each fraction of extra width, which take up more spacethan desirable in good printing the difficulty in joining sections, or separate type of the form heretofore used so as to form a perfect fraction and make the result a clean and perfect print, and various other difficulties which have been experienced, as well .as the necessity of carrying 1n stock a large su l of t e, variously designed for the PP y 7 YP purpose, in order to print all fractions which it may be desirable to print with a These difficulties are overcome all possible. fractions with a comparatively small number of typeswhich are of a size and character to be easily and conveniently handled by the compositor, enabling rapid work .to be done in setting up forms, all as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

My improved font of type for fractions comprises the comparatively few' regular fractions, commonly employed, consisting of Y i, ii: i", 35 iii 3: ii: n These frac' tions eleven in number, are commonly sup-. plied in fonts ofitype .for printing fractions. To-make a complete font capable of printing any possible fraction in accordance with my said invention, 10 sets of 10 fractions each are formed, each set having a uniform denominator and a numerator running from 0 to 9 successively. -The denominators of the-several sets run from 1 to 0 successively.

Specification of Letters Patent. Pate t d A It has for a purpose to overcome a. number of difliculties that have been ex- 7 by my and invention, which makes 1t possible to print 1916. Serial No. 106,213.

' To illustrate, my improved font of type o P g fractions include tf shown by the following tabl a m: 2 t as it? s a a a a? 2% a at as a .1; a a 3 as tttt't mt It will be mad pit-Q19, 1921.

that the- 11 regular fractions heretofore-referred to are, of

course, included in the above table.

Said types are each formed en-set in the 100 characters shown in the above table any possible fraction desired having "two :figures asa numerator and two figures as a denominator, maybe set up by combining two of the typesjshown, as required for the 1 numerators from 1 to 9 successively are pro vided as follows:

i .2 4 A '1 A 2 type of em-set widthand half the ordinary heightis formed for the denominator, each type having cast thereon the numeral representing the denominational group desired. That is, a type of the formdescribed is cast to constitute a complete, denominator for any fraction from 10 to 99, as follows lVith this numberof types p'rovided it width and, as will be noted, by the-use of" In order to provide .for'

similarly formed character, thatyis, a

will be readily seen that any possible fraccombining the appropriate two of the enset types on vertical lines or the appropriate two of the em-set types on horizontal lines;

y In both cases the types are of a size and f ,character to be easily handled by the-com positor so that fractions can be set into forms rapidly and conveniently, and be cause of the-perfect alinementofthe cross lines aIl Cl the connection between the cross "lln'es on the varlousen-set types, aperfect result is achieved on'the printed'page.

It will be Sunderstood that the term en-set "as used in "the specification and claimsmeans a type one-half the width of L V an femset? type and that em-set as used herein means atype double the width of an en-set ,type, that is, two en-set types occupy the same width in a printed form asone em-set type; and themeaning of said terms is not necessarily limited to the exact" mathematical dimensions as recognizedinlthe type founding art as'indicated by said terms.

It will beiunderstood, of course, that there is rarely ever any practical need for a font of type that will set all possible fractions.

The most commonly used fractions, aside from the regular, fractions above referred to, are the 16th, 24th,- 32nd, 48th, Gth, and

perhapsthe 10th, th, Oth, th, th, etc.

Aswill be readilyrunderstoocha font of type capable of printing all such fractions in V common use would have a very large number of the above noted characters eliminated In other words, a font of type capable of printing all fractions required .in ordi- 40] l t small number of types or characters.

nary work would havea comparatively the characters, however, have been illus trated n order to makemore clear the 1nvention or discovery of the system on which font of type may be developed for the purposeandto show how by supplying a 1 few additional characters any font may be readily made available to print any clenoinl 1 national fraction required. Y

As will be noted, a leading and charac ter stlc novelty in th s lnvention is that the font includes a large number of unusual fractions comprlslng many fractlons generally a C 77 I termed vulgar fractlons, that 1s, fractlons wlth numerators-larger than denominators. In addition to these vulgar fractlons,

however, there are many that perhaps may not properly be termed 'vulgar fractions within the commonly understood meaning jofthe term, and yet are very unusual, as,. for p i773: %1 i; l r 7 7 I etc. Alsobtypes showingO for a numera tor with denominatorsruiming from 1 to 0.1

All of these characters are, however, necessary to carryjoutthe full purpose of my invention, as without them the various comblnations required to set up even those fractlons commonly employed in every-day work would not be possible. a

Cut-cost fractions N052 are so made that The practical use of a font of type for '70 printing fractlons such as are commonly used, the character of font that would be provided for ord1nary commer'clal purposes, may be best lllustrated as follows:

Cut-cost fractions No. l are so made that 7 twoen-set fIZLCEtlOIIS CELIl be placedtogether to make fractlons 1n the l6ths, 32ds and Thus and placed together make The. following commonly used characters 8 are furnlsh'edzi r t i it" t if t t A Special characters used for 1 6ths,32ds and filthsarez t j Numeratorsr l-. V Denommatorsr 32 64 The following characters on en-set are used together to make 16ths, 32ds, and 64ths when numerator 1s11 or larger:

For 1 6ths: a 9 Combine with a for 71 a For 32dsz Combme with if 1?; to make g4;

15 p 19 N V flppilpgne 2 with e $5 1} a to make Gombme with a to make For fi lths; y j 7 Combine with 3 5. 7 9 m 15 6 rzz rz k ei (M 3? 6T; 64 i i a flpgnpgne %w1th i a; to make Cpp1b1 ne w1th g to-make 2 ea ea" 1 a [lo OOIlIlblIlG, i; and with =3; 9; 2,; a to make the rest of the odd 64ths: 45% to vrti t i fit 7 ti v The-complete list of fractions that can be 1 1 made with a font of cut-costffractions No. 1 are i 2: and complete Sths, l6ths, 32ds and tieths, as follows:

f two en-set fractions can be placed together to make fractions in l2ths, 16ths, 24ths and 48ths.

Thus: 3; and placed together make 1 The following commonly used characters are furnished:

itftt-Eftt-t Special characters used for 12ths, l6ths, 24ths and 48ths are:

Numerators: i i L i Denominators: 12 16 24 The following characters on en-set are used together to make l2ths, 16ths, 2tths and 48ths when numerator is 11 or larger: For 12ths:

Combine with 7 for For 16ths:

Combine with -2,- to make For 24ths:

Combine with 1}, F to make n The complete list of fractions that can be made with a font of cut-cost fractions No. 2 are complete 12ths, 16ths, 24ths and 48ths, as follows:

asaaae fi af'aai-itiaeas'sa As will be seen by referring to the table first above shown, the addition of 10 additional characters to any previous lot is suf-' ficient to afiord to the font facilities for printing fractions of any other denominator than the denominators previously formlng a Flirt of said font.

aving thus fully described my said ingether a continuous line is formed, substantially as set forth.

2. Type for setting up fractions in printing comprising types each having a numer ator and a denominator and types divided horizontally each formed with a complete numerator or a complete denominator, each of said last mentioned types being equal in width to two of said first mentioned types, substantially as set forth.

3. A font of type for printing fractions comprising types formed on en-set bodies with successively increasing numerators and successively increasing denominators and also type formed on em-set bodies each having a complete numerator or a complete denominator thereon.

4. In a font of type, fraction types comprising en-set types each having a numerator and a denominatorv separated by a horizontal line extending to the edges of the type and types of em-set width divided on a median horizontal line each member being formed with a complete numerator or a complete denominator, the part forming the numerator having a formative line near its lower edge, whereby any desired fraction less than hundredths may be set up by the employment of type-members of a size not less than an en-set.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal at Jersey sey this 20th day of June, hundred and sixteen.

CLARENCE C. MARDER.

Witnesses:

F. B. BERRY, F. K. PHILLIPS.

nineteen Cit New Jer-. V A. 95 V 

